Paul, Liverpool

Paul Wilko began his career as a club development officer for the local council in Sefton.

Part of his role was engagement with the local community, which he loved but through that he quickly noticed that the support for the local sports council was extremely poor.

Paul had been a huge sports lover since he was a child and he’d acquired an array of sporting skills and talents over the years. With local sports being something particularly close to his heart, the lack of support for the local sports club really bothered Paul and so he took it upon himself to do something about it.

Paul had done quite a bit of volunteering in the past and even volunteered for the Manchester Commonwealth Games - he was no stranger to giving up his personal time to help with anything he could, especially if he could share his love of sports.

Before long, Paul became Chairman of the local sports council, with whom he stayed for two years on a voluntary basis.

Sefton Sports Council is a voluntary organisation and an umbrella support group for over 150 local sports clubs in the area. Its support ranges from help with CRB checks to grant funding, club mark accreditation, local sports awards applications and bursary offers.

The club attracts sports enthusiasts from all ages – from 4 years to 90 years of age.

Paul’s role as chairman for the local sports council provided him with invaluable work experience and strong leadership skills, so much so that he is now the National club development manager for baseball, softball UK.

Paul says,

“I’ve always been into sports, ever since I was a child and have always wanted to get into sports somehow as a career. Volunteering with Sefton Sports Council taught me so much about sports development and I would never have developed that knowledge and skills if it weren’t for volunteering and being involved at grass roots level. Now I’m in the job of my dreams, I’m doing something I love thanks to all my volunteering work; it really helped me get a foot in the door.”